Laboratory Medicine
Objectives
In clinical practice, Laboratory Medicine is part of a multidisciplinary team at the heart of health care, supporting the identification of risk factors, diagnosis, therapy and monitoring in diseases and in patients. Laboratory testing can support more than 70% of health care and management decisions throughout medical practice, enabling appropriate, effective and safe decisions to be made.
It is a discipline based on the basic knowledge of other disciplines such as Biochemistry, Hematology, Immunology, Microbiology, Virology, Molecular Genetics and Cytogenetics, integrated with the knowledge of the pathophysiology and diagnosis of the disease and with the knowledge about the laboratory technologies.
The aim of the CU of Laboratory Medicine is to increase the perception and knowledge that medical students have about the adequacy of the laboratory tests requested to the clinical situations under study, especially the most prevalent ones, as well as their added value and their clinical integration, for a more sustained use of tests and for an evidence-based medical practice.
In the practice of Laboratory Medicine it is also central to understand how these tests are performed and validated. Students should be able to recognize the different phases of the process in the laboratory, from the pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical stage, developing critical capacity on the final result.
General characterization
Code
11160
Credits
4
Responsible teacher
Prof.ª Doutora Maria José Rego de Sousa
Hours
Weekly - Available soon
Total - Available soon
Teaching language
Portuguese
Prerequisites
Bibliography
This CU addresses topics that are transversal to all specialties, so it would be reductive to limit learning to specific manuals. Also it cannot be considered bibliography the books of the specialty of Clinical Pathology, because they are extreme complexity.
In each module will be provided the materials that served as support to the classes and the respective bibliography. It is expected that the student builds his knowledge and that, due to his frequent presence in the classroom, may, due to the collaborative activity between students and teachers, add value to knowledge.
Teaching method
a) Theoretical lectures, of an expository nature, aimed at all students, lasting no more than 50 minutes, will be in asynchronous e-learning format (classes with audio recording) and will be made available on moodle, two weeks in advance of the schedule. Which include topics such as:
1. Organization of the Clinical Laboratory
2. Organization and understanding of the laboratory requisition
3. Hematology study
4. Hemato-oncology study
5. Hemostasis study
6. Study of Diabetes and the metabolism of carbohydrates and Renal function
7. Study Hepatic and pancreato-biliary function
8. Study of Dyslipidemias and Acute Coronary Syndromes
9. Study of Tumor Markers
10. Study of Endocrine Diseases
11. Study of Proteins
12. Study of Autoimmune Diseases
13. Study of the value of laboratory tests
b) Other classes, provided in an asynchronous e-learning format (classes with audio recording) and will be made available on moodle one week before classes practices.
- Explanatory film about student-centered teaching model (to be made available in due course);
- Practical Class: Projection of microscopic images of peripheral blood and medullary blood;
- Practical Class: Complement on Laboratory Safety ;
- Practical Class: Complement on Pre-analytical ;
- Practical Class: Complement on Blood collection.
c) Quizz / Simple cases from each area provided in an asynchronous e-learning format and will be made available on moodle, on the day of the class in question, for 30 min of autonomous work.
d) Theoretical-practical classes, which include an expository component and an interactive component, with discussion of clinical cases and aimed at small groups of students (no more than 20), lasting no more than 90 + 30 minutes (discussion of 10 CC (90min) + presentation of the next CC (30min)), will be in synchronous e-learning format, using platforms such as "Teams" or "Zoom".
1. CC#0 - Organization and understanding the parameters of the Hemogram
2. CC#1 - Patient with Anemia
3. CC#2 - Patient with Hemostasis alterations
4. CC#3 - Patient with Diabetes and complications
5. CC#4 - Patient with Viral Hepatitis
6. CC#5 - Patient with Acute Coronary Syndrome /NSTEMI
7. CC#6 - Patient with Liver Adenocarcinoma
8. CC#7 - Patient with Thyroid Disease
9. CC#8 - Patient with Monoclonal Gammopathy of Unknown Significance
10. CC#9 - Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
e) Classes to clarify doubts related to theoretical classes, Quizz and simple cases in each area, which will be in synchronous e-learning format (according to the plan) using platforms such as Teams or Zoom, with duration of 30min. The teacher / student ratio will depend on:
- Pre-registration up to 48 hours before (Dra. Catarina Ferreira Pires)
- Pre-listing of issues
f) Practical non-clinical classes, of laboratory nature, aiming at observational or immersive procedures execution, aimed at small groups of students.
They are face-to-face classes, distributed over 2 rooms - A and B, lasting 1h20min;
In each room there will be 3 stations with a duration of 20-25min per station;
Students will be distributed in 12 groups of 5-6 students each group with 1 teacher
They will take place at Wednesdays, according to the schedule:
- 2 Wednesdays (35 students + 35 students)
- 3 Stations: blood collection + peripheral blood smears + type II urine study
- 1 Optional station: Microscopy
- 2 rooms (A and B)
- 12 groups (1 to 12) / 5-6 students each group
- 1 (or more) teacher (s) accompanies circuit of the 3 stations with each group, in each room
- 1 permanent teacher at the optional microscopy station
Description of Stations:
1) Blood collection: types of tubes, plasma / serum, order of collection tubes, collection technique
(disinfection, tourniquet, puncture, post-harvest), homogenization of tubes;
2) Peripheral blood smears: peripheral blood smears;
3) Urine: urinary sediment assembly and type II urine evaluation and visualization in Menasoft;
4) Microscopy (optional): visualization of peripheral blood smear slides (pathologies
various);
No change of schedule is allowed; If the student is unable to come at his / her time, he / she may request the teacher to attend at another time, but it will always be recorded missing that week.
Evaluation method
Evaluation: assessment is by means of a multiple choice test (MCQ) and the active participation of students in the Theoretical-practical classes.
Subject matter
In order to achieve the above mentioned learning goals and to develop the competences and performances, the program contents of this CU are divided into 3 groups:
a) Applying nuclear knowledge of physiology and pathophysiology in transversal medical areas, such as Chemical Pathology, Hematology and Immunopathology
b) Study of the procedures used in the laboratory for screening, diagnosis, monitoring and therapeutics
c) Adequacy of prescription, evaluation and interpretation of laboratory tests applied to real clinical cases situations